Brian Cox Slams Joaquin Phoenix's 'Napoleon' Portrayal, 'Truly Terrible'

Brian Cox has never been one to mince his words, and Joaquin Phoenix is on the chopping block this time over his performance in the "Napoleon" movie.

The "Succession" star unleashed a rapid-fire tirade at London's HistFest this week ... slamming JP's 2023 portrayal of the historical figure as downright awful -- even suggesting he would've done the role more justice.

Brian says, "Terrible. It's terrible. A truly terrible performance by Joaquin Phoenix. It really is appalling. I don’t know what he was thinking. I think it’s totally his fault and I don’t think Ridley Scott helps him."

BC adds, "I would have played it a lot better than Joaquin Phoenix, I tell you that. You can say it’s good drama. No -- it's lies."

Brian even played on Joaquin's name to underscore his point, amusing, "I think he's well named. Joaquin ... wackeen ... wacky. It's a sort of wacky performance."

Basically, according to Brian, critics are lying about calling "Napoleon" a solid drama -- even though it did snag 3 Oscar noms, though none were for Best Actor or Best Director.

True to form, Brian doesn't shy away from speaking his mind -- he's famously taken swings at Johnny Depp and even his "Succession" costar Jeremy Strong.